The White House escalated tensions with the media by reportedly warning CBS News ahead of its planned broadcast of President Donald Trump’s January 13 interview. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt delivered the message directly to the network, stating that the president would pursue legal action if CBS failed to air the interview in full.
White House reportedly warns CBS over Donald Trump interview
On January 13, 2026, the White House reportedly issued a warning to CBS News, threatening legal action if Donald Trump’s interview with CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil was edited in any form. The New York Times obtained and released a leaked audio recording in which White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on behalf of the president, “If it’s not out in full, we’ll sue your a** off.” The warning was delivered immediately after the interview concluded in Michigan.
In the audio, Leavitt stated, “Make sure you guys don’t cut the tape. Make sure the interview is out in full.” In response, a woman identified as CBS Evening News executive producer Kim Harvey replied, “Oh, great, okay,” while a man, identified by outlets as Dokoupil, commented, “He always says that.”
The interview aired in full on CBS the same evening, running 13 minutes. It featured Trump discussing various topics, including protests in Iran and an investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. CBS later stated, “The moment we booked this interview we made the independent decision to air it unedited and in its entirety.”
Leavitt responded to the leak, reiterating, “The American people deserve to watch President Trump’s full interviews, unedited, no cuts. And guess what? The interview ran in full.”
Trump has a contentious history with CBS News. Last year, CBS’s parent company, Paramount, settled a lawsuit with Trump over a 60 Minutes interview involving Kamala Harris. The suit initially sought $10 billion, and Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to Trump’s future presidential library. Trump criticized CBS again in December after the network aired an interview with Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling the outlet “FAKE REPORTING” on Truth Social.
Originally reported by Vritti Johar on Mandatory.com.
